Mounting pad and method for deterring theft and securing outdoor equipment and appliances against high winds

ABSTRACT

A mounting pad system for securing equipment, such as an HVAC outdoor unit or a standby generator, is provided in the form of a lightweight fillable pad member having a plurality of receivers located on a top surface of the pad member. The receivers are associated with attachment points located on the equipment and are used to secure the equipment to the pad. The pad member contains a filling port on its top surface and is configured as a molded hollow shell containing a gelling material which, when mixed with water, provides support to reduce deflection of the pad member caused by the equipment secured to the pad, prevents damage to the pad that would otherwise be caused by the expansion of internal contents upon freezing and prevents leakage of internal contents of the fillable pad in the event of an unintended breach in the hollow shell. The pad member is provided with at least one through-hole that acts as a supporting structure.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/875,359, filed Jan. 19, 2018, that is now pending, which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety. This application isrelated to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/685,283, filedAug. 24, 2017, in the name of Elliot M. Sting and Robert P. Scaringe andentitled “Mounting Pad And Method for Deterring Theft And Securing AirConditioning Units Against High Winds,” that is now pending and thesubject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a support pad for outdoor equipment andappliances and installation method that not only raises the unit,equipment, or appliance to provide clearance from grade, as required bymost building codes, but that also secures that unit, equipment, orappliance to prevent movement and tipping associated with hurricaneforce winds.

Typically, an equipment pad, like those used for AC condensing units andgenerators that provide temporary power solutions, is constructed ofpoured concrete formed in situ. This may be convenient when otherconcrete work is being performed on site, however, a typical or averageinstaller would find mixing or purchasing concrete specifically for thissmall application to be impractical, time consuming, or expensive. Apoured concrete pad also takes time to cure before heavy equipment canbe placed on and fastened to it, further interrupting the installationprocess.

Prefabricated plastic and concrete pads are available as an alternativefor transport and placement on site. Available plastic pads aretypically lightweight and do not provide the required dead load toresist tipping due to high winds once equipment is mounted on the pad.Conventional hardware used to secure equipment to these relatively thinplastic pads may also be prone to pulling out of the plastic.Conversely, preformed solid concrete pads are heavy and difficult tohandle. Other available pads are composed of a lightweight foam interiorcontained within a concrete shell, such as the “The Hurricane Pad™”manufactured by DiversiTech (Duluth, Ga.). As a result of theirconstruction, these foam interior pads are prone to damage if dropped ormishandled. In many instances, foam-cored pads are too light toadequately secure an air conditioner in high winds.

A hurricane-wind rated equipment pad must be able to keep the equipmentin place during high winds and also prevent the unit from toppling overor moving. The minimum necessary weight of the pad is dependent on thesize and weight of the equipment and the wind speed. Hurricane-resistantequipment pads must survive wind speeds up to 180 mph, with the actualrequired wind speed dependent on the location.

As a demonstration, Table 1 below provides the minimum weight necessaryfor a 36 inch×36 inch pad to secure equipment of various sizes andweights. The wind load is calculated from the methods presented inAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Standard 7-16. The equipmentand pad are assumed to be a rigid structure resting on flat ground in amoderately open area. The dimensions and weights of the equipment listedin Table 1 are based on commercially available outdoor units used insplit air conditioning (AC) systems and are representative of equipmentthat could be mounted to such pads. Modern, high-efficiency, AC outdoorunits have become much taller to allow greater heat exchanger area onthe same footprint, which has exacerbated the wind-driven tipping issue.For example, in Table a the Required Pad Weight increases from 148pounds for a 24×24×30-inch-high outdoor unit to 519 pounds for a32×32×50-inch-high outdoor unit atop a 4 inch tall pad in a 150 mph windzone. Building codes also require a minimum of a 2 inch border aroundthe perimeter of any equipment, so that a 32 inch base is the largestunit size that can be placed on a 36 inch pad.

TABLE 1 Required equipment pad weight to resist tipping. Unit DimensionsRequired Pad Weight Width Length Height Weight 150 mph Wind 180 mph Wind(in) (in) (in) (lb) (lb) (lb) 24 24 30 100 148 257 24 24 35 120 206 34926 26 30 120 149 266 26 26 35 140 213 368 28 28 30 140 149 276 28 28 35160 219 386 28 28 40 190 292 505 30 30 30 160 149 285 30 30 35 190 216395 30 30 40 220 297 524 30 30 45 240 400 682 32 32 35 220 213 403 32 3240 250 301 543 32 32 45 280 403 703 32 32 50 310 519 883

Table 1 makes clear that a concrete pad would need to be quite heavy toprevent tipping due to the moment caused by wind, making it verydifficult to carry one into place at the installation site.

One known approach proposed the use of a hollow pad with a hollowinterior chamber filled with sand, other granular materials, or water soas to achieve the necessary weight required to prevent the pad fromtipping in hurricane-strength winds. With water, the pad was notintended to be completely filled so that in colder climates, theexpansion of water as it freezes would not deform or damage the pad.Even if such a pad were completely filled with water and the height wasincreased to 6 inches, for certain tall outdoor equipment, the wateralone would not provide sufficient weight to keep the pad in place inthe highest possible wind zones, such as the 180 mph region of southFlorida. The weight of the pad can be further increased with use ofhigher density fill materials such as sand, which is known in the art.At least one central support has also been proposed to prevent sagging,but that would limit the ability of a granular material, like sand, tocompletely fill the hollow core, reducing the fill volume and thereforethe weight of the filled pad. If the central support is large, it cansignificantly reduce the volume of fill material available for weighingthe pad down.

One object of our invention is to provide an easily-transportable,lightweight, rugged, and low-cost equipment mounting pad andinstallation method that, once located and leveled on site, can besecured to prevent theft and tipping, even in high wind loads. Our novelequipment pad can be configured as a hollow plastic shell that can berotationally molded to reduce cost and minimize weight. If the pad isformed by conventional rotational molding, the molded pad will typicallybe formed from one of a variety of thermoformed plastics. The currentlypreferred embodiment uses a linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) toform a rigid structure with uniform wall thickness. However, anythermoform-capable material such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE),medium density polyethylene (MDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE),cross linked polyethylene (XLPE), nylon, polypropylene, and polyvinylchloride (PVC) are acceptable alternatives. While the currentlypreferred material wall thickness for the pad is 0.2 inches throughoutthe pad, alternative embodiments can use material thicknesses from 0.1inches to 0.75 inches with, if desired to reduce costs, non-uniform wallthickness by using well known shielding on the rotational mold to adjustcooling times and thereby obtain non-uniform wall thicknesses. Forexample, the side-walls could be 0.1 inches, the top load bearingsurface 0.5 inches, and the bottom ground facing surface 0.2 inches. Aspointed out herein, the adjustable securing slots in the pad providesupport from deflection and can allow the load bearing surfaces to bethinner as well.

The empty shell, which contains a gelling formulation of knowncomposition according to our invention, can be filled with water andsealed once at the installation site. The gel/solidus formed inside thepad will be used to prevent weight loss, even if the leak-tight seal iscompromised. Additionally, if a super absorbent polymer (SAP), includingbut not limited to sodium polyacrylate, sodium polycarbonate,polyacrylamide copolymers, ethylene maleic anhydride,carboxymethylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol copolymers, or polyethyleneoxide, is used in the gelling compound formulation, then the resultingmixture will not expand upon freezing, thereby allowing the pad to becompletely filled with water, avoiding the need for an expansion voidspace. Filling the interior volume completely also allows the gelledmixture to provide support to the pad, serving to prevent deformationand remove the need for any dedicated internal support structure.

In the event the filled equipment pad, according to our invention, didto provide sufficient weight to prevent tipping in the highest windconditions, anchors can be screwed into the ground to add additionaltipping resistance.

Our novel equipment mounting pad will be secured, in one way, to theoutdoor unit through easily adjustable securing straps that areinstalled into specially designed slots through the top of the pad. Thesecuring straps are adjustable within the slots, able to rotate andslide inwards and outwards, to accommodate various sizes and shapes ofequipment. These straps are cinched down to the pad and fastened to theunit to firmly secure the unit to the pad, preventing rocking, excessivevibration, and tipping. Additionally, extra slots and slots at variousslot angles can be made available for use without departing from thescope of our invention. These slots also provide structural strength tothe pad.

Our novel equipment mounting pad will be secured, in another way, to theoutdoor unit, equipment, or appliance through the inclusion of receiversthat are installed in the mounting pad. Fasteners are then passedthrough mounting points on the outdoor unit and fasten into the insertsthat are installed in the mounting pad.

The equipment pad of our invention also contains a structure foranchoring the pad to the underlying support, whether soil, concrete, orother. Mount holes positioned near the perimeter of pad allow for theuse of ground anchors or concrete fasteners and are positioned such thatthey can be installed with the unit in place. As stated earlier,anchoring the pad provides additional wind resistance, when needed, byholding the pad to the ground further preventing tipping or sliding ofthe unit and pad assembly.

The equipment pad of our invention contains a means for stackingmultiple pads on top of one another and keeping them from sliding orshifting during storage and transportation. A protrusion on each corneror the sides of the equipment pad mates with a corresponding recess inthe bottom of a pad placed on top of the former.

Equipment theft will be deterred due to the combined weight of the padand the equipment, and if used, the lifting strength of the anchorsinstalled into the underlying support. Moreover, our inventioncontemplates that the equipment can be connected to the pad with knowntypes of anti-theft fasteners, such as one-way machine or sheet metalscrews or those with unique heads that can only be removed with specialtools. An anti-theft cable can also be installed. Similar to thesecuring straps, the anti-theft cable can connect to the pad using oneof the unused slots.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and further features, objects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more readily apparent from the following detaileddescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a currently preferred embodiment of theequipment support pad and securing system according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the equipment pad shown in FIG. 1, with ageneralized equipment model secured to the pad.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the currently preferred embodiment ofthe equipment pad shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the equipment pad shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the equipment pad shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a currently preferred embodiment of thesecuring strap assembly.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of the securing strap assembly as it isbeing inserted into a slot of the equipment pad.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of the securing strap assembly installedinto and cinched down to the equipment pad.

FIG. 9 is a side view of one contemplated ground anchor for theequipment pad of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of another embodiment of the equipment padinvention.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the embodiment of the equipment pad inventionshown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is an isometric view of depicting the bottom of the embodimentof the equipment pad invention shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the embodiment of the equipment pad inventionshown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 14 is another side view of the embodiment of the equipment padinvention shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the embodiment of the equipment padinvention shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 16 is a cut plane view of the embodiment of the equipment padinvention shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view along the cross-section line Y-Y ofthe embodiment of the equipment pad invention shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view along the cross-section line AA-AA ofthe embodiment of the equipment pad invention shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 19 is an isometric view of the equipment pad invention shown inFIG. 10, with the placement of a generalized equipment model on theequipment pad.

FIG. 20 is an isometric view of the equipment pad invention shown inFIG. 10, with a generalized equipment model secured on to the equipmentpad.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to FIG. 1, an equipment securing system 100, is shownwhere a hollow equipment pad 1 of approximately square or rectangularconfiguration (and which can have rounded corners rather than theillustrated right angle corners) has twelve securing slots 11 that canaccommodate a desired number of securing strap assemblies 12. In acurrently preferred embodiment, the strap assemblies 12 can be slidinwardly and outwardly, and can also be rotated tangentially to theequipment 2 (FIG. 2) and thereby conform to a wide variety of outdoorequipment types, sizes, and shapes. The slots may have a recess 6 (FIG.5) to allow an associated retaining washer 13 of the securing strapassembly 12 (FIG. 6) to slide inwardly or outwardly without beingrestrained by the ground 10 the pad has been placed against. Protrusions19 on the top side of the pad 1 and corresponding recesses 20 on thebottom of the pad 1 facilitate keeping pads in place when stacked forstorage and transportation.

The currently preferred embodiment can also contain one or more optionalsecuring anchors 9 (four are shown in FIG. 1) that are secured into theground through by-pass holes 7 having recesses 8 at the pad's uppersurface so that the anchors 9, one embodiment of which is shown in FIG.8, can be screwed into the ground after the pad has been located andleveled. The adjustable strap slots 11 will also serve as centralsupporting structures eliminating the need for additional dedicatedadditional supporting structures which would increase cost and reducefill volume. Once the pad 1 is filled completely with water (i.e.,filled before the equipment 2 is located on the pad), the pad will alsobe supported by the interior fill volume, again eliminating the need fordedicated internal support structures. The filling port 5 for the pad 1is located outside the footprint of the equipment 2 (FIG. 2) which inthe currently preferred embodiment is located near a corner of the pad1.

FIG. 2. is an isometric view of the equipment pad 1 of FIG. 1, withequipment 2 secured to the top of the pad 1 using the securing strapassemblies 12. The equipment 2 is sized so that there is at least 2inches of the pad 1 around the exterior that is not covered, as may berequired by building codes. As shown, the anchors 9 and fill port 5shown in FIG. 1 are completely exposed after the unit 2 has beeninstalled. This is done to allow these items to be installed andaccessible later after the equipment has been installed, if, say, abuilding inspector should decide anchors are necessary or an installerinitially forgot to fill the pad or install the necessary anchors.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the equipment pad 1 and shows thatthe equipment pad has a hollow interior region 3 that will be filledwith water and sealed when installed. The hollow region 3 will alsocontain a super absorbent polymer material 4 that will combine with thewater and form a gel or solidus media filling the interior volume 3 toprevent leakage if the seal integrity is compromised. As noted already,additional dedicated support structures are not necessary to preventsagging. It will be understood, of course, that the gelled completelyfilled interior volume and the slots 11 for the securing straps 12 bothprovide support to eliminate sagging.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the equipment pad 1 showing the holes 7 for theanchors 9, twelve slots 11 for the straps 12 that are used to secure theequipment 2 to the pad 1 and prevent any movement of the equipment onthe pad. The holes 7 have a recess 8 so that the anchors 9, onceinstalled, will be recessed into the surface of the pad allowing theequipment 2 to sit flat on the pad.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the equipment pad 1. The recesses 6surrounding the base of the slots 11 provide space for the retainingwashers 13 of the securing strap assemblies 12 or optional anti-theftcables to be adjusted, that is slid along the length of the slot,without resistance from the ground 10 which could potentially impedemotion. In addition, when the rectangular washer and carriage boltassembly are dropped into the slot 11, the recess allows room for therectangular washer to reorient itself so that it becomes parallel andform-locked to the base of the slot, preventing its removal as thecarriage bolt 15 is tightened. The slot 11 also prevents the rectangularwasher 13 and carriage bolt 15 from rotating, allowing the nut 16 of thesecuring strap assembly 12 to be tightened, thereby securely cinching itto the equipment pad 1. As already stated, these slots 11 also act assupport structures to prevent deflection of the pad due to the weight ofthe equipment 2, such as an outdoor AC condensing unit, that is securedto the equipment pad 1.

FIG. 6 shows a currently preferred embodiment of one of the adjustablesecuring strap assemblies 12. FIG. 7 is a sectioned view detailing itsinstallation into the pad 1. In this configuration, a carriage bolt 15will be inserted into a slotted retaining washer 13, the slot of whichwill allow the retaining washer 13 to be angled with respect to thecarriage bolt 15. The retaining washer 13 slot geometry also preventsthe square neck of the carriage bolt 15 from rotating upon tightening.Additionally, the assembly is comprised of a securing bracket 14 and anut 16. The retaining washer 13 of the securing strap 12 will be angledand inserted into the desired slot 11 from the top of the pad and slidinward towards the equipment 2 being secured until the bracket 14 meetsthe equipment 2. The retaining washer 13 will itself not rotate withinthe slot recess 6 once fully inserted. The single carriage bolt 15 usedfor cinching down the strap assembly 12 allows the securing bracket 14to rotate allowing it to lay flat (be tangent) against the surface ofthe equipment 2 regardless of shape. FIG. 8 is a sectioned viewdetailing the final installment of the securing strap assembly 12. Thesecuring bracket 14 will rest atop the equipment pad 1 and the nut 16will be tightened to cinch the bracket 14 to the equipment pad 2. Thesecuring bracket 14 will be secured to the equipment 2 using theappropriate quantity, size, and style of metal fasteners 18. Known typesof anti-theft fasteners can also be used to secure the straps 12 to theequipment 2.

FIG. 9 is an embodiment of the securing anchor 9 shown in FIG. 1. Thisanchor is screwed into the ground to further secure the pad 1 to theunderlying ground (10 in FIG. 1).

Referring now to FIG. 10, there is shown another embodiment of theequipment securing system 100. This embodiment includes a top surface110. The top surface 110 has a plurality of top openings 120. The topopenings 120 are chamfered so as to promote strength around each opening120. Proximate the center of the system 100 is a center cavity 130. Thiscenter cavity 130 can be sized to accommodate any hardware or toolingthat may assist in securing a piece of equipment 400 to the system 100,see e.g., FIGS. 19 and 20.

Side surfaces 112 surround the top surface 110 and connect the bottomsurface 115 to the top surface to form an internal hollow region 135. Onthe sides of the top surface 110 and the edges of side surfaces 112protrusions 150 are positioned. Each protrusion 150 has surfaces 155.One protrusion 150 contains fill port 160; however, the invention is notlimited to having fill port 160 on solely one protrusion 150. Further,the invention is not limited to having a pair of protrusions 150 or theprotrusions 150 being located proximate the centerline as shown in FIG.10 of the equipment pad system 100. The protrusion could also be locatedon the corners of the top surface as depicted in FIG. 1, for example.The fill port 160 can be located on more than one protrusion 150 or onthe top surface 110. The fill port 160 permits fluids to be depositedinto the internal hollow region 135 between the top surface and bottomsurface, see FIGS. 17 and 18. This internal hollow region 135 can alsocontain a super absorbent polymer material (not shown) that will combinewith the water and form a gel or solidus media filling the interiorhollow region 135 to prevent leakage if the seal integrity iscompromised. The gel or solidus media would add additional weight to theequipment securing system 100 to prevent the attached unit, equipment,or appliance from toppling in high-winds when securing to the system100.

Positioned on the top surface is a plurality of receivers 140. Thereceivers 140 are positioned on the top surface to act as points tosecure a piece of equipment 400 (see FIG. 19), for example, a standbygenerator that is used when electric power from a utility or the like toa facility or dwelling is unavailable. Thus, for example, the standbygenerator can be attached, anchored, or secured to the equipmentsecuring system 100 using attachment points, mounting holes or openings,or the like usually found in the base of the standby generator. Forexample, see FIG. 19, reference numeral 455.

Receivers 140 can be grouped into patterns. Each pattern aligns with theattachment points, shown as mounting holes or openings 455, in the base450 of a piece of equipment 400. As an example, as shown in FIG. 19, apattern of four receivers 140 are aligned with openings 455 in the base450 of the piece of equipment 400. The patterns that the receivers 140can be grouped in should not be limited to patterns of four. Forexample, a pattern of three receivers 140 could be used to align withopenings in a base 450 of the piece of equipment 400.

As shown in FIG. 11, numerous patterns for the receivers 140 could bedevised to align with an array openings 455 of bases 450 belong todifferent pieces of equipment 500. As previously stated, a pattern ofthree receivers 140 could be used. While FIG. 19 shows a quadrilateralpattern of receivers 140 having a rectangular aspect, other aspectsencompass the invention. For example, a trapezoidal or square pattern ofreceivers 140 is within the scope of the invention.

FIG. 12 illustratively depicts the bottom surface 115 of the equipmentsecuring system 110. On the edges of the bottom surface 115 are recesses170 have walls 175. The walls 175 of the recesses 170 are sized toaccommodate the surfaces 155 of the protrusions 150. Such anaccommodation facilitates keeping a plurality of systems 110 in placewhen stacked for storage and transportation. As with the protrusions150, the recesses 170 are not limited to a pair of recesses.Additionally, the recesses 170 are not limited to being locatedproximate a centerline of the bottom surface 115. The recesses 170 couldalso be located at the corners of the bottom surface 115 to matchcorresponding protrusions 150 at the top surface 110, as similarly shownin FIG. 1. Bottom openings 125 are located in bottom surface 115 and theedges of bottom openings 125 are chamfered to promote strength aroundeach opening.

As best shown in FIG. 15, there is a relationship between the topopenings 120 and the bottom openings 125. The bottom openings are largerin relation to the top openings 120. However, this relationship shouldnot being considered as limiting the invention to the bottom openings125 being larger than the top openings 120. Other relationships, such asboth openings being equal size, are contemplated and fall within thescope of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 16, sectional view Y-Y bisects the equipment securingsystem 100. FIG. 17 shows the cross-sectional view of sectional Y-Y. Asshown in FIG. 17, the top surface 110 and bottom surface 115 areconnected by a plurality of supporting structures that areillustratively reference by reference numerals 180, 190, 200, 210, 220,230. These supporting structures prevent deflection of the top surface110 due to the weight of equipment 400 that would set on the equipmentsecuring system 100. Due to the differing diameters of top openings 120and bottom openings 125 each of the supporting structures 180, 190, 200,210, 220, 230 has the shape of a frustum of a cone having acorresponding volume 240, 250, 260, 270, 280 as illustrated in FIG. 18that depicts the cross-sectional view of the equipment securing systemtaken along cross-sectional AA-AA. Center post 300 is shaped similar tosupporting structures 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, except for thecenter cavity 130 being sized to accommodate tools, hardware, orfasteners being stored in the cavity prior to a piece of equipment 400being installed on equipment securing system 100. Center volume 310corresponds to volumes 240, 250, 260, 270, 280 to the point where thebase of center cavity 130 begins, then the volume expands to accommodatethe tools, hardware, or fasteners being stored in the cavity 130 priorto installation of a piece of equipment 400 being installed on theequipment securing system 100. Of course, the invention contemplatesother geometrical shapes for the supporting structures and correspondingvolumes that would be dependent on the different shapes for the top andbottom openings.

FIG. 19 shows an exemplary piece of equipment 400 set on equipmentsecuring system 100. The base 450 of the equipment 400 has opening 455for fastener devices 500 to pass through and engage the receivers 140.Fastener devices 500 can be any type that are known to those in the art,e.g., threaded fasteners (bolts, screws, studs), friction-fit fasteners,rivet-type fasteners, nails, pins, and dowels. The receivers 140 areformed to compliment the many types of fastener devices known in theart, for example, the receivers could have internal threads (furtherdescribed below) that mate with external thread fasteners. Receivers 140could be provided with inserts 145. The inner surface of the inserts 145could have appropriately mating internal threads for fastener devices500. For example, the internal threads could be bolt, screw, or studthreads. Additionally, receivers 140 could be formed to accept“thread-forming,” self-tapping, or thread-cutting fasteners, such as forexample, thread forming screws or sheet metal screws. Likewise, theinserts 145 could be formed to accept “thread-forming,” self-tapping, orthread-cutting fasteners. In addition, both receivers 140 and inserts145, individually or in combination, could be formed to acceptnon-threaded fasteners, such as keys, pins, retaining rings, snap rings,rivets, or the like. Alternatively, both receivers 140 and inserts 145,individually or in combination, could be formed as an anchoring systemincorporated into the equipment securing system 100 by known techniques.For example, the receivers 140 and/or inserts 145 could be part of agrouted anchor, a flexible anchor, a boxed anchor, expansion shieldanchor, expanding anchor, expanding pug anchor, adhesive anchor, andnails.

FIG. 20 shows an exemplary piece of equipment secured to the equipmentsecuring system 100 using fastener device 500.

While we have shown and described our invention above, it should beunderstood that the same is susceptible to changes and modificationsthat will now be apparent to one skilled in the art. Therefore, we donot intend to be limited to the details shown and described herein butcontemplate that all such changes and modifications will be covered tothe extent encompassed by the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. An article of manufacture for securing a piece of equipmentthat has a base with attaching points thereon, the attaching points areused to secure the piece of equipment to the article of manufacture,comprising: a top surface having a plurality of receivers that arepositioned on said surface to align with the attachment points on thebase of the piece of equipment to be attached on the article ofmanufacture; a bottom surface; a plurality of side surfaces attached tothe top surface and the bottom surface and forming an internal hollowregion encapsulated by the top, bottom, and side surfaces; and whereinthe internal hollow region contains a gelling material.
 2. The articleof manufacture of claim 1, wherein the plurality of receivers containinserts.
 3. The article of manufacture of claim 1, further comprising:at least one top opening within the top surface; at least one bottomopening within the bottom surface; and wherein the at least one topopening and the at least one bottom opening are connected by at leastone supporting structure.
 4. The article of manufacture of claim 3,wherein at least one top opening is a smaller diameter than at least onethe bottom opening and the at least one supporting structure is shapedas a frustum of a cone.
 5. The article of manufacture of claim 1,further comprising: a filling port on top surface.
 6. The article ofmanufacture of claim 1, wherein said gelling material is selected, whenmixed with water, to prevent leakage of internal contents of thecontainer in the event of an unintended breach in the container, reducedeflection of the container caused by a piece of equipment secured tothe pad, and prevent damage to the container that would otherwise becaused by the expansion of internal contents upon freezing.
 7. Thearticle of manufacture of claim 6, wherein said gelling materialcomprises a super absorbent polymer material.
 8. The article ofmanufacture of claim 7, wherein said super absorbent polymer material isselected from the group comprised of sodium polyacrylate, sodiumpolycarbonate, polyacrylamide copolymers, ethylene maleic anhydride,carboxymethylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol copolymers, and polyethyleneoxide.